


Where the Shadows Lie

by DontBeJelly



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, i gotta brainwash alex first, the ship doesn't sail until chapter 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 06:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16717757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontBeJelly/pseuds/DontBeJelly
Summary: What if Kara was sent somewhere to learn how to control her powers? What if that place was the Wind Ninja Academy? And what if Alex was forced to go with her?





	Where the Shadows Lie

**Author's Note:**

> Lie - verb (1) to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position  
> Lie - verb (2) to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive

Alex frowned at Kara when she stopped. “What now?”

“I can’t hear anything.” Kara looked away from the house, fear in her eyes. “I can’t hear them.”

Alex realized what Kara meant. Her parents' voices, heartbeats, breathing. Kara couldn’t hear them, and the cars were there, and the windows were open-

They burst into a run and Alex didn’t shout when Kara went a little too fast, when her strides were a bit too long. This once, Alex didn’t care that Kara risked exposure. If it meant Kara could find out what was going on-

They crashed through the front door, almost knocking it off its hinges. Eliza and Jeremiah startled, but the older man with them did not. Alex took her cue from Kara, who was eyeing the old man with suspicion. 

“What’s going on?” Jeremiah asked, concerned at how worried they looked.

“I couldn’t hear you,” Kara muttered in Kryptonian, knowing the old man couldn’t possibly speak it.

Jeremiah glanced at the old man but seemed to understand. In English, he asked, “Did you try looking?”

Both teenagers turned a bit red at having forgotten that power of Kara’s.

“Have a seat, girls,” Eliza said. “This is Sensei Watanabe.”

Within five minutes, Alex went from grateful for Kara’s powers right back to loathing them and everything else that made Kara different. Her parents wanted to send Kara to some secret Ninja Academy. The woman who Kara had saved from a car accident the other week was a wife to a ninja and had suggested Kara could use specialized guidance. That was fine. Great, even.

Except Eliza wanted Alex to go with Kara. Because Kara needed a familiar face. Because Alex could learn a few things there, to help her keep Kara’s secret safe.

Alex glared at all of them before launching off the couch and heading for her room.

“Where are you going, young lady?” Jeremiah called after her.

“I obviously don’t have a choice,” Alex said as climbed the stairs. “I’m going to pack!”

“Alexandra!”

She ignored her mother and slammed her bedroom door. She didn’t care about being rude. Her parents were about to get rid of her. The alien THEY had decided to take in was now Alex’s very unwanted responsibility. Everything Kara did was always on Alex. 

She threw herself on her bed and stared up at the poster on the ceiling. It was a simple image of the ocean, half underwater, with a bright blue sky shining above. Alex wanted to be a marine biologist. She wanted to study and protect the sea she was so in love with. It was a kind of science her parents supported.

At least, she had thought so.

Marine biology wouldn’t keep Kara safe. So now marine biology was pointless.

Alex stood on her bed and ripped the poster down. She crumpled it up and tossed in the direction of the trash can by her desk. Looking around her room, everything was pointless. The Ninja Academy was a boarding school. She wouldn’t be able to maintain her friendships. 

Hopping off her bed, Alex went to the wall where she had the pictures of her friends and everything they had done over the years. One by one, Alex tore them down and balled them up.

The oceanography posters were next. There were a handful of autographed photos with famous surfers. The Midvale newspaper article of her placing third in a statewide surfing championship. 

All of it was worthless. 

When Alex’s path of destruction arrived at her closet, she took stock of everything and pulled out a duffle bag. A ninja academy would probably have uniforms. Really, all she would need were some pajamas and maybe a heavier coat. 

There was a knock on her door.

“What?!”

The door opened, and Jeremiah sighed at the mess.

“I’ll clean it up before I leave.”

“It’s not the mess, Alex.” He closed the door almost all the way but didn’t move to take a seat. “Why would you destroy all of that?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s gonna be of any use.”

“Not everything has to be of use.”

“Doesn’t it, though?” She glared at him, knowing any repercussions for mouthing off were going to be short-lived. “Surfing doesn’t help Kara. Marine biology doesn't keep Kara safe. Having friends risks Kara’s secret. You’re about to send me off to some hidden boarding school! Why do you care about anything in my useless room!?”

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and shook his head. “We’ll talk when you’ve calmed down.” He opened the door and picked up her backpack that he had brought up with him and set it to the side. “Please have your homework done before dinner.”

Alex didn’t acknowledge him as he shut the door. There was nothing to talk about. Not anymore.

~*~

Alex sighed as they drove past a beach. The water was dotted with surfers. She had spent all of the afternoon before catching every wave she could. She already missed it. 

“Stop it, Alexandra,” her mother side from the front seat. “You’ll still have weekends off.”

“But only to do what Kara wants,” Alex muttered.

“We can come to the beach all the time,” Kara said, quiet and unsure how Alex would snap at her. 

“So you can stare at birds like a weirdo? Yeah, no, can’t risk that.”

Kara pouted. “I haven’t done that since the first time.”

“I can’t be out on the water unless you are, too,” Alex pointed out. “I won’t be able to help you if anything happened.” 

“I’m not a helpless child!”

“Nope, just a weirdo.”

“Enough, Alex.” Jeremiah’s voice wasn’t loud, but his anger filled the car.

Alex went silent and focused out the window. At least from now on, she would only have to put up with Kara. It was easier to argue with her. 

The road wound away from the city of Blue Bay Harbor and into the mountains. The woods gave her a sense of age she didn’t feel in the trees around Midvale. These trees had been around a very long time.

It gave Alex the creeps.

The road became gravel, then dirt. It ended at a small house pressed against the side of the mountain. Under normal circumstances, Alex would be expecting a serial killer to come running out of the trees.

Unfortunately, it was just Sensei Watanabe who stepped out of the house.

Alex grabbed her backpack and didn’t look at anyone as they entered the musty house. It seemed barely lived in. She supposed it was meant to keep people out and away. The side of the house that was pressed into the mountain had a door that led to a cave. It was pitch black, and even though Alex knew they were safe, she still felt afraid. She couldn’t see anything once the door was closed behind them. Dizziness swept through her.

A gust of wind ruffled her hair and light started to leak in through vines as they parted. As sun filtered into the cave, Alex saw there was barely five feet between the door and vines.

Okay, so maybe being a ninja wouldn’t be so horrible if it meant super secret hidden passages. 

The mouth of the cave opened up into a green, broad valley. One large temple rose up in the center, surrounded by training fields. Dozens of ninjas dotted the grounds, which were separated by red, yellow, and light blue flags. 

Alex would say it was a beautiful place if it wasn’t about to become her prison for the next four years.

The walk down to the academy took mere minutes. The tour, however, left Alex feeling tired and hungry. Since Eliza and Jeremiah couldn’t move to Blue Bay Harbor due to their jobs, and Alex and Kara couldn’t make the four-hour commute every day, it meant staying at the Academy full time. The dorms were located in the middle of the temple, just above tree height. Regular school classes took place on a higher floor, and meals were eaten below the dorms. The ground floor housed the rooms for ninja studies.

Once back on the dorm level, Sensei Watanabe told the family to say their farewells.

Alex took a step back from her parents when they moved forward, making them abort their hug. She looked at Kara and tilted her head down the hall. “We don’t need to say goodbye to people who don’t even want us.”

Kara looked between the adults that had taken her in and the girl who had been responsible for her since the day she arrived. “But this is our best chance.”

“This is YOUR best chance,” Alex said, turning and heading to her assigned room. “I’m just here so it doesn’t look like they’re abandoning you.”

Her parents didn’t even try to argue. Alex figured they were just relieved they wouldn’t have to put up with Alex’s attitude and Kara breaking everything.

Kara mouthed a thank you at Eliza and Jeremiah before running to catch up with Alex. Quietly, she said, “I’m probably gonna have nightmares tonight, so I’ll say sorry now.”

Alex sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll hear you through these walls, but if you need to sleep in my room after, just bring your own blanket.”

Kara looked at Alex in surprise. It was the first nice thing Alex had said to her since Sensei Watanabe’s visit.

Alex turned the corner and started to pay attention to the room numbers. “Look, Kara, I don’t hate you. None of this is your fault. I’m just...frustrated.”

“And I’m the only one you can yell at who can’t ground you or take your phone.”

“I’m not sorry for how I’ve been. I wasn’t asked if I wanted to help hide an alien, I wasn’t given a choice in teaching you English or how to be a teenager on Earth. I’m fourteen! Why are you my responsibility? Why do I have to give up my friends, my home, and my freedom to keep you safe?”

Kara opened the door to her room and immediately went to the far wall to open the window. “If Eliza and Jeremiah really wanted to take care of me, one of them would be learning here with me.”

“Exactly.” Alex sighed and rubbed her face. “Maybe here your mistakes and the things you don’t know won’t be my fault, and I won’t hate everything you say and do. I don’t know, maybe we can actually get along.”

“Sensei Watanabe said we’ll be in different classes.” Kara set her bag on the dresser and opened the top drawer. She pulled out one of the uniforms. It was white, with no elemental patch just yet. “Maybe if we’re not around each other all day, we’ll actually like being in the same room together.”

“Maybe.” Alex looked around and sighed in relief. “Thank fuck, they have clocks. Want to go look for food in half an hour?”

Kara nodded. “Yes, I’m starving.” She watched Alex turn around and saw just how dejected she looked. “Alex? Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, if I don’t protect you, who will?”

~*~

Alex settled into her new routine easily enough. She didn’t want to be in a ninja school, but that didn’t stop ninja school from being interesting. Sensei Watanabe had enough sense to keep Alex and Kara apart so they wouldn’t develop a more rooted sibling rivalry. It helped that Alex was shuffled into a group of water ninjas before her first day was over. Kara took a week to find her place with those who associated with air.

The only thing Alex really despised was how early the day began. Breakfast started at six in the morning and ran until seven. Her first class was an hour of history, which ended with the theory and mechanics of whatever skill they would be learning outside. After an hour of learning new skills, more experienced students partnered with newer ones to teach them one on one.

Alex expected a lot of hazing and bullying when it came to the older students. She had been so sure she was going to have to find a way to make someone’s life miserable if they messed with Kara. But none of that happened. The higher ranking students were genuinely interested in teaching and friendships and being helpful.

“You look confused,” Cameron said as he sat next to Alex for their afternoon “normal” school class.

“Everyone here is nice.”

Now Cam was confused. “Why wouldn’t we be nice?”

“Because me and Kara are new and we didn’t choose to be ninjas and why isn’t anyone picking on us?”

“Alex, please breathe?” Cam waited for her to take a deep breath. “You’re wondering where the bullies are. They either learn, or they get kicked out.”

The teacher came in and took stock of her students. “Cameron, are you trying to explain quantum physics again?”

“Not this time, ma’am. Alex is confused by the lack of hazing.”

Miss Kwan seemed to understand instantly. “Alexandra, what was the first rule you were taught?”

Part of her still cringed at hearing her full name, but the adults at the academy said it differently than anyone else. “We’re learning self-defense and how to protect others.”

“Exactly. No one here has the desire to take advantage of others. Not to say we don’t get students who think that way. They just aren’t allowed to get away with it.” Miss Kwan looked around the room at each of her students. “If anyone bullies you in any way, speak to one of your teachers. If it’s a teacher, come to Sensei Watanabe or me. Understood?”

Alex joined her classmates in acknowledging their teacher. The math lesson started a moment later, and Alex had a better feeling about the academy than she had in days.

~*~

“Are we going back to your house for summer break?” Kara asked after hearing a bunch of other students talking about the long holiday.

Alex shrugged. After two months at the academy, Alex was settled into her routine and wasn’t looking forward to giving it up only to have to get back into it. She always hated having to readjust to her school schedule after a break. “If you want to, we can, I guess.”

“You could surf a lot more,” Kara pointed out. She had actually been pretty good about keeping herself occupied while Alex left the academy with a handful of other students to catch some waves. It still gave Alex anxiety to leave Kara alone, but the rhythm of the ocean let her relax for a few hours.

Alex wrinkled her nose. “Maybe? Knowing Mom, she’d probably say something about me not including you.”

“I have no desire to learn how to surf, though.”

“Won’t matter.” Alex finished off her lunch. “I like it here. We’d get out of practice in Midvale, even if we did a few hours of training there.” She smirked at Kara. “Maybe if I took a couple of summer classes, I can catch up to your nerdiness.”

Kara rolled her eyes, an Earth custom she had picked up almost instantly. “It’s not my fault your planet is so slow to learn,” she said in Kryptonian.

“But it is your fault you can’t tutor me probably,” Alex shot back in the same language.

“The terms for your archaic mathematics don’t exist in my language anymore!”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Even we humans remembered who came up with the number zero. What’s your excuse?”

Their argument devolved even further as they took their cutlery to the sinks. Alex was relieved she distracted Kara from her original question. This freedom to get along as they pleased was working for her; Alex knew being forced to stay within sight of each other in Midvale would only do more harm than good.

~*~

Alex convinced Kara that going back to Midvale for the summer would suck due to Kara being unable to use her powers. Kara was suddenly agreeable to staying in the valley. She liked being able to go for flights at dusk and watch the sun set behind the mountains. Alex was just relieved she could stick to short emails between her parents.

Since summer meant fewer students, the teachers were able to give more individualized lessons. Kara and Alex were in the same class for the first time since their arrival. 

“On your own, your elements are strong,” the sensei said to the small group of eight students. “Working together, the combination can be far more powerful.”

Alex and Kara exchanged glances as excitement shot through them. Alex was excellent at creating perfect waves to ride, and Kara was becoming a professional with wind tunnels. Together, there was a chance for a water spout at the very least.

“Before you can combine your mental abilities, however,” the sensei said, “you must first learn how to work together physically. Pair up and spar.”

Kara was at Alex’s side an instant later. Before their ninja training, Kara would’ve probably knocked into Alex going at that speed. Now, Kara was able to control herself and not look like she was screeching to a halt. They grinned at each other and faced their opponents. The ninjas across from them wasted no time in attacking.

Pressed back to back with Kara, Alex could feel the way Kara moved and kept pace. They had both trained with other students like this, to learn how to work together. Though it was the first time the two of them had sparred in such a way, they already knew how to read and anticipate another’s actions. For the first time ever, Alex actually felt a bond with the alien that was supposed to be her sister.

When the fight was over, Alex and Kara stood over the other two students. They offered a hand up and hauled their opponents to their feet.

“The two of you have great potential at becoming powerful partners,” the sensei said as she approached.

“Be a huge waste of time if we didn’t,” Alex muttered to Kara.

Kara shoved her elbow into Alex’s ribs. “I hope we can fulfill that potential, sensei.”

“This is a good place to start.” She turned to face the whole class. “Now, I want all of you to channel small examples of your element. We will work on bringing them together slowly.”

Alex and Kara faced each other. Alex cupped a ball of water in the palm of her hand and assumed Kara was doing the same with air. At their sensei’s instruction, they carefully closed the distance between their hands. Alex could feel the water in her hand being drawn into the sphere of air caged in Kara’s fingers. Alex concentrated on the direction and strength of the wind before allowing her ball of water to flow into it. Kara’s hand sank just a little as she took on new weight. Alex raised her hand above Kara’s, palm down, drawing the mixture up into a funnel.

A tiny water spout swirled between them.

The sensei congratulated them on being the quickest and most stable combination.

Alex shared a grin with Kara. Maybe, just maybe, they really could do this together.

~*~

“Mom wants us to go to Midvale for the Fourth of July weekend,” Alex told Kara when her sister entered her room.

Kara sat on the edge of Alex’s bed and didn’t try to read the computer screen on the desk. “You don’t sound, ah, grumpy about that.”

“I like the fireworks display,” Alex said, “and the bakery has this special cupcake they only make for the holiday that I’ve gotten every year for as long as I can remember.”

Kara smiled at Alex’s enthusiasm. “I definitely need to try this cupcake if it’s that special. When would they pick us up?”

“Thursday. And bring us back on Monday.” Alex shrugged. “It’s still summer break, so we won’t miss too much school work.”

“And you call me the nerd.” Kara nodded. “Yeah, we should go. I’ve never seen fireworks in person.”

“They’re loud, but you’ve got better control of your hearing, right?”

“Yeah, that was one of the first things I learned. How much of the weekend are you going to spend surfing?”

“Probably every minute we’re not eating cupcakes or watching explosives. Are you gonna be okay going a few days without flying?” Alex knew Kara loved her nightly flights before bed.

Kara nodded again. “Yeah, definitely.” She grinned. “I might mess with your waves, though.”

“I can handle your gusts,” Alex said, straightening up and trying to look superior.

They both dissolved into giggles. Alex turned back around to type a reply to her mom. Hopefully, she could get through this visit without losing her temper.

~*~

The Wind Ninja Academy had a building in the city that served as a place where parents and students could meet en masse to prevent too much traffic going into the mountains. Kara and Alex waited in the lobby, practicing their elemental with an earth ninja who was also heading home for the holiday weekend. Being able to work in harmony with ninjas of other elements was something the senseis fostered between the students.

Alex and Kara had been ignoring the doors opening to allow parents into the building for almost half an hour. When they did look up, it was to see Eliza and Jeremiah walking in together.

“That is both creepy and cool,” Kara said as she stood.

“It means our training is paying off,” Alex said. 

They bid farewell to the earth ninja and met the two adults halfway across the room. The hugs were brief, and after waving goodbye to the sensei chaperoning all of them, they headed outside. 

“Do you two have any homework that will need to get done over the weekend?” Eliza asked as they headed for the car.

“No, Mom. The teachers want us to relax and enjoy our time off.”

“I like the academy’s teachers WAY better than the high school’s,” Kara said. “We only have out of class work if we need help understanding a subject, and that’s more of a study group then work we have to do alone.”

Due to the almost weekly emails between the sisters and the adults, there wasn’t much to catch up on during the drive. Alex could tell her parents were pleased by the lack of animosity between her and Kara. In truth, Alex liked having Kara around. Kara wasn’t an idiot, just new to Earth. Alex didn’t like how Kara’s assimilation to Earth had become her job.

When they got to Midvale, night had fallen, and dinner was the simple affair of stew left in a crock pot before the drive had begun. Eliza and Jeremiah went to bed after making sure Alex would clean up. Kara dealt with cleaning and storing the crock pot while Alex dealt with their dishes. At the Academy, everyone was responsible for cleaning up after themselves at meals. Kitchen clean-up was no longer a chore they knew how to fight over.

“Do you want to practice a little before bed?” Kara asked. “I don’t know if I can go to sleep right away.”

Alex nodded, and they headed outside. While they didn’t use any of their ninja abilities, they still spent an hour going through the basics. When Alex got to her room, she looked around as she shuffled to her bed. The walls were empty, and she knew her mom had dusted very recently and aired out the room. The lack of pictures and posters were probably for the best. The fewer reminders of her old life, the better.

~

“Why are you dressed for the beach?” Eliza asked when Alex came down for breakfast the next day.

Alex frowned in confusion. “I thought we weren’t doing anything until later this afternoon.”

“We aren’t,” Eliza said, “but what’s Kara going to do while you’re out on your surfboard?”

Kara rolled her eyes at Eliza’s insistence that she and Alex be connected at the hip. “I was gonna sit on the beach with some snack food and read.” 

Alex fisted her hands under the table as her dad said something about Alex choosing activities she enjoyed over something they could do together. She took a deep breath, having promised herself she wouldn’t let her anger take control. Ninjas could feel every range of emotion, but they were not to be controlled by them. She looked at Kara and asked, “Do you want to go practice on the beach? We can swim to cool off, but we shouldn’t let our training slip while we’re here. Then we can come back up to the house and read.”

Kara wiped her own emotions from her face. “Yeah, training is probably the better idea.” She picked up her breakfast burrito. “Want to eat these on the way down? That way we can get started even faster.”

Alex nodded and stood up quickly. They grabbed a few bottles of water and were out the door before her parents could stop them.

“I’m sorry,” Kara said when the house was out of sight.

“It’s not your fault,” Alex said around a mouthful of food. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll just get up earlier and leave a note before they wake up.”

Kara nodded. “Maybe instead of reading at the house, we can go to the library?”

Alex instantly agreed to even more time away from her parents. She wasn’t surprised by her lack of independence from Kara. It had been stupid to hope for it, anyway.

~

After spending most of the morning building the most elaborate sand castle Midvale’s beach had probably ever seen, Alex and Kara returned to the house just long enough to wash off the salt water and change into dry clothes. They made themselves some sandwiches and quickly put air in their bike tires before racing off towards the library. Kara headed off to find the newest books while Alex wandered over to the magazine collection. Kara and Alex make a point of staying on opposite sides of the building. It’s not until the librarians announced closing time in fifteen minutes that they realize they’d gone the whole afternoon without saying a word to anyone.

On the bike ride back to the house, Kara asked, “Do you think we can visit Blue Bay’s library once in a while?”

“Sure. We can go before I hit the waves, so you have something to read while I’m surfing.” Alex had found she didn’t mind when Kara was around her all the time, as long as she didn’t have to hold Kara’s hand through the same activity.

Once back at the house, they put their bikes away and waited on the porch for Eliza and Jeremiah. They were soon in the car and being asked what they had read at the library. Alex braced for not sharing Kara’s interest in fiction, but Kara winked at her and didn’t shut up about the plucky heroine series she had found. Alex stared out the window and wondered if she would see any old friends or classmates. She didn’t know what, exactly, she would say to any of them. There was only so much she could say about her new boarding school.

The moment they were out of the car, Kara asked if she and Alex could run ahead to the bakery. Eliza barely gave her permission before Kara was dragging Alex away into the growing evening crowd.

“Thanks, Kara,” Alex said once they were far enough away from her parents.

“It’s no problem.” Kara shrugged. “My hyperness isn’t a total act."

Alex laughed and led the way to the bakery. There was a line out the door, but the wait would be worth it. The adult Danvers caught up just as the sisters were about to place their orders. It was one of the few days of the year Alex was allowed desert before a meal. She savored her cupcake on the way to the pizza place. The Academy didn’t have a lot of sweets; usually, it was in the form of pudding or jello. 

Once they had dinner in hand, they went to go find a place to sit on the beach. The fireworks would be set off from a small barge out on the water. Alex did see some of her old classmates but only waved to them in passing. As night descended on the beach, Eliza told Alex to keep an eye on Kara’s reaction.

“Let us know if she gets overwhelmed.”

Alex nodded and said nothing about her parents looking after the girl they wanted to take in. Kara was solely Alex’s responsibility now, she knew that. Her parents were only legal guardians as necessitated by law. 

Kara looped an arm with Alex’s and whispered, “I’ll be fine. Enjoy the fireworks.”

Alex quietly thanked her and managed to relax for half an hour.

~

The moment Alex was back in the hidden valley and looking at the Academy, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“So,” Kara said as they started walking to the temple. “That could’ve gone better.”

“We’re staying here and seeing what Blue Bay’s New Year’s Eve fireworks are like,” Alex declared.

“This is a bigger city, so they would have a bigger budget for more fireworks.”

“Exactly.” Alex stretched her hands to the sky. It felt good to be back. She didn’t have to hide her skills or talents. If she wanted to toy with water gathering in a puddle, she could. If she wanted to leap into a tree and see how high up she could get, she could.

So she did just that. 

~*~

With both their abilities and friendship growing, Alex and Kara spent more time together out of choice. Their entire day wasn’t a strict schedule, so they made a point of practicing together for at least an hour a day. Older students were always willing to spar with them, and the senseis encouraged the combination of air and water. 

Alex spent her second semester at the academy learning the requirements to get into AP classes. Eliza had sent an email saying it would be easier to support the two sisters going to college together if there were fewer courses to pay for. Which meant both Alex and Kara were going to have to test out of the basic intro classes. Kara was only in the same grade level as Alex due to having to learn the Earth version of subjects. It wasn’t going to be long until Kara outpaced Alex and the struggle to keep up would begin.

Alex liked challenges, but this one, in particular, was impossible. Kara’s brain was powered by the freakin’ sun. All Alex had was her normal human body and all its limitations. Even with ninja training, Alex wasn’t going to be able to keep up forever.

Especially if she couldn’t get enough sleep.

“Alex.” Kara shaking her awake was soft and hesitant, just like her voice. “Please wake up.”

Alex took a deep breath and moved to give Kara enough room on the bed. Kara’s nightmares would never go away, but they were happening less often. “Phantom Zone?”

“Yeah.” Kara settled in the bed, wrapping her comforter around her. “I don’t think I’m going to outgrow the need for a nightlight.” She looked outside at the pitch black forest. “Especially here.”

Alex stretched as she sat up. “Maybe closer to Christmas, we can get you a small strand of string lights. You might be able to convince Mom to get you a heated blanket.”

Kara looked excited about the idea. “You really are a genius.”

Alex rolled her eyes and held out her hands. 

“You don’t have to read if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine.” She didn’t get a chance to ask what book Kara wanted before Harry Potter was in her lap, opened to the chapter Kara was on. “Dork.”

“Nerd.” Kara sat closer, needing body heat to chase away the lingering memory of cold and dark. “Thank you.”

Alex nodded and laced their hands together. The nightmares and loneliness were one of the few things Alex could fight better than Kara. If it meant losing a few hours of sleep while Kara settled back into the here and now, so be it.

~*~

“Alex!”

Alex rolled her eyes at Kara’s yell. If it wasn’t quiet hours, they could be as loud as they wanted in the dorms. That didn’t mean Kara had to shout through the wall of the rooms. “What?!”

“Clark wants to do Thanksgiving in Midvale!”

Alex groaned and pushed away from her desk. She shuffled into her sister’s room and flopped on the bed. “For the love of Rao, why?”

Kara shrugged. “He wants to bring his fiance, her little sister, and his parents to Midvale. Something about being warm during Thanksgiving for once.”

Alex grabbed the edge of the comforter and started to roll herself into a burrito. “Your cousin is the worst.”

“If we’re sisters, technically he’s your cousin, too.”

Alex glared at her from the cave of blankets. “I’m declaring our sisterhood over.” 

Kara rolled her eyes. “Whatever. He says he hasn’t asked your parents yet since he wanted to make sure I was okay with keeping talk of Krypton to a minimum.”

“But his parents know, and Lois HAS to know by now.” Alex didn’t believe, for a moment, that a front-page investigative reporter like Lois freaking Lane didn’t know her fiance’s secret.

Kara tapped at the computer. “Lucy doesn’t know,” she said after a few moments. “Lois’ sister is seventeen and not around often enough to know if she can be trusted.”

“Understandable,” Alex muttered. “Well, if there are more people at the house, Mom can’t focus on us the entire time.”

“Maybe we can use Lucy as an excuse to get outside?” Kara said as she typed out a reply. “Give her a tour of Midvale or go on a hike or something?”

Alex wrinkled her nose. “Maybe. The seventeen-year-olds we know are different from, uh, normal ones. They usually don’t hang out with fourteen-year-olds.”

“Maybe, but no teenager wants to be around adults.”

Alex had to admit that Kara had a point. She dropped her face against the bed and sighed. A holiday at home. Everything she didn’t know she’d learn to hate.

~

The Academy let the students out for the whole week of Thanksgiving to give students and senseis both time to travel home. Eliza had been willing to pick up the girls on Saturday, but both Alex and Kara managed to convince her that Monday was the better idea. They might not have homework, but they did have semester-long projects. The sisters used that as an excuse to enjoy a weekend of freedom before having to pretend at being normal.

Being in Midvale for Thanksgiving meant super cleaning the house for guests. Kara and Alex would have to share the living room floor with Lucy. Clark and Lois would be in Kara’s room, while the Kent parents took Alex’s space. Alex said if they had to sleep on the fold out bed and air mattress, the teenagers were going to roast mini marshmallows every night by candlelight. 

“That’s fine,” Jeremiah said, “just keeping the giggles to a library level so the rest of us can sleep.”

Wednesday evening saw the arrival of the guests. Once the bags were in their proper places, Kara was quick to lead a disgruntled Lucy Lane away from the living room.

“I know we’re basically children to you,” Kara said, taking a flashlight Alex was handing to her. “But since none of us want to be sitting in a room with adults, want to come with us to look for hatching sea turtles?”

Lucy held out her hand. “Definitely.” She took the flashlight and told Lois she was going to hang out with of a couple of strange kids on a beach at night.

“Be home by ten!” Jeremiah called after them as they ran out the door.

The walk down to the beach was in relative silence. The sisters couldn’t talk about most of their lives, and Lucy didn’t want to speak period. 

When they reached the beach, Alex handed over a piece of red plastic and a rubber band. “Put this on your light when we find turtles.”

“Why?” Lucy asked as she stuffed the items in her pocket.

“Turtles follow the reflection of the Moon on the water to find the sea,” Alex said as she kicked off her shoes. “Our white lights will confuse them.”

Alex knew Kara was keeping them warm by changing the temperature of the air around them. It was a subtle use of the ninja powers Kara could get away with. The three of them didn’t talk much; they had nothing in common and were in Midvale by force. There were no sea turtle hatchlings to see that night, but Alex said they could come back as an excuse to escape the house. When they returned, Jeremiah was waiting up for them. He tossed Alex a bag of marshmallows and winked at her before heading upstairs.

The couch was folded out and dressed, as was the air mattress. There was a set of tea lights, and some matches on the pushed aside coffee table. Kara found the rest of the s’more making supplies while Alex lit the candles.

“What are you doi- Oh.” Lucy smiled a little as she was handed a couple of toothpicks. “You know, for children, you two aren’t that bad.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re not so bad for an adult, either.”

Lucy poked Alex in the arm with a toothpick. “I’m not one of those boring adults. Take that back.”

“Nope.”

Kara started to break apart the rectangles of chocolate and graham crackers. “Alex won’t take it back. She means what she says when she's rude.”

“Which means we’re no longer sisters.”

Lucy snorted and set her tiny marshmallow on fire. There were worst ways to spend Thanksgiving.

~*~

The problem with having a super-powered sister, Alex learned, was there was no way for Alex to catch up even a little. Kara would always be faster, stronger, and have better senses. Only when it came to learning Wind Ninja techniques and history was it possible for them to keep an even pace. 

Fortunately, Kara’s control was impressive. She could match Alex move for move without a problem. She never moved faster than Alex unless it was necessary to set up an attack. Kara was also never a moment too slow that Alex had to scramble to keep momentum while waiting for Kara to catch up. They were becoming an impressive duo.

When the senseis let them practice together.

While Kara and Alex were a great team, students were encouraged to build bonds with more than their just their friends. Or family, as was the case with Alex and Kara. There was an earth Ninja the sisters practiced with often enough. Still, Alex and Kara were kept apart during lessons, if they were even in the same class to begin with.

Every week, Eliza or Jeremiah sent an email to one of them asking how they were doing. Kara liked to ramble on about some interesting fact or a new book. Alex usually kept her replies short and to the point, telling them how Kara was excelling and Alex was keeping up. Alex once made the mistake of mentioning how she and Kara were going to watch a professional surf competition when it passed through. Eliza hadn’t been pleased with the waste of time that wouldn’t benefit Kara or further Alex’s education.

Alex never mentioned anything personal outside of her academics after that. They still went to the surf competition. Alex explained all the rules to an engrossed Kara. Not a word was said to the Danvers parents about their weekend excursion.

~*~

“I thought you didn’t have homework over the holidays?” Eliza asked sharply when she saw Alex’s backpack. “Have you been lying?”

After dropping the bag in the middle of the backseat, Alex sighed. “No, Mom. The first tests for the AP classes are at the end of the next semester. I’m reading ahead so I can get placed in the most advanced prep classes.”

“Well, I hope you don’t trap Kara inside the whole week by studying.”

Kara and Alex glared at the back of Eliza’s headrest and said nothing. Kara hated how she wasn’t allowed to be free of her sister at fifteen and in possession of twice as many superpowers as her cousin. Alex wasn’t surprised her efforts were used against her, but it still sucked.

After five minutes of clipped answers to whatever questions the two adults asked, Jeremiah looked at them via the rearview mirror. “It’s almost like neither of you wants to be here.”

“Maybe because we don’t,” Alex snapped. “Christmas and New Year’s are your ideas, not ours.”

“You honestly don’t want to spend any time with your family?” Eliza asked.

“My family is dead,” Kara reminded her, keeping her voice as light as a calm breeze. “Teaching me a language and putting a roof over my head doesn’t make you family, just my legal guardians.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. She had no idea Kara had grown a spine over the past year and a half.

“And how do you feel about all this, Alex?” Jeremiah asked.

She snapped her mouth shut and shrugged, scrambling for her words. “My responsibility of being Kara’s babysitter doesn’t change between the Academy and Midvale. We might as well stay there where we can practice, and I can learn something useful.”

Her parents were apparently expecting Alex to recant and say of course she wanted to spend time with them. The truth was, Alex liked the adults at the Academy far more than she did her own parents. The senseis actually listened and helped. Alex had called Eliza two weeks ago and asked for help, only to be told to figure it out for herself since Eliza wouldn’t be able to help her with everything all the time. Sensei Kwan was able to get Alex fixed up and on her way in under an hour. Her own mother couldn’t spare an hour to help her. Why should Alex be any kind of loyal to her?

“A four-hour car drive is not the place to be having this conversation,” Jeremiah said, his voice calm but firm. “We’ll talk tomorrow when we’ve all had some rest.”

Alex slumped into her seat and wished he had just turned around. She mentally vowed to go surfing every day she was in Midvale. If they wanted to yell at her for having a hobby of her own, so be it.

~

The sisters’ stay at Midvale ended the day after Christmas. They were three days into a vacation that wasn’t supposed to end until after a New Year’s celebration. Eliza couldn’t take Alex’s argumentative disposition and Kara’s desire for independence. Jeremiah had tried to play mediator. Alex hadn’t wanted to fight him; he was a bit more reasonable than her mother. In the end, however, he supported Eliza’s opinions and decisions no matter what. 

“I guess this means we won’t see you until graduation?” Eliza asked when they were outside the academy’s building in the city. 

Alex traded a look with Kara and saw the full agreement in her eyes. Alex looked her mother in the eye. “You want me to support Kara and protect her secret, as well as excel in both my academics and training. I don’t have time for visiting Midvale, where I don’t have access to the academy’s library or protected training grounds.”

If there was one thing Eliza hated being used against her, it was her own words and logic. Alex kept her face blank as Eliza grimaced and got back in the car. 

Jeremiah ran a hand through his hair. “Call us if you change your mind about a visit.”

With that, they were gone.

Later that day, Kara returned from her evening flight to see Alex still going through an obstacle course. She sighed and waited for Alex to finish her current route before sitting on the top of the first wall and holding out Alex’s water bottle. 

“You need to stop for now,” Kara said. “Your whole body is shaking.”

“That might be more anger than actual exhaustion,” Alex said, heaving in air.

Kara looked over at her sister. “If you ever want to go back, I can always say I need a break. You shouldn’t have to give up your relationship with your parents because of me.”

“They made their choices,” Alex said. “I can choose to keep myself sane and you safe, or I can be their silent puppet with no thoughts for myself.”

“I really can take care of myself, you know. I’m not going to need you to be there for me all the time.” She looked out over the dark forest. “There are these things called dates. I don’t think it’s cool if my sister is there with me.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, those you can do by yourself.” She grew quiet. “But, for now, we’re here. We’ll do this together. I, for one, want to be able to kick your ass by the time we graduate.”

Kara shoved Alex off the wall. “Not gonna happen.”

“Watch me.” She grinned. “Race ya to dinner!” She took off at ninja speeds.

“Head starts are cheating!”

~*~

Alex wiped her hands off on her towel and tossed it aside. “Do you think we’ll be in trouble for being late?”

Dustin snorted. “I’m quitting if we get in trouble for helping someone, which is what they’ve been teaching us.”

“Knowing our senseis,” Shane said, “they’re gonna ask why we didn’t call those people a tow truck.”

“Dude, that would suck.” Dustin cracked open a water bottle and drained half of it before passing it to Alex. “Isn’t this the first you’ll be late, like, ever, though?”

Alex nodded as she took the water. “Yeah. And, uh, maybe this class is an elective?”

“We have electives?” Shane asked, surprised.

Dustin laughed. “They might’ve made them up just for the Danvers Dorks.”

Alex tossed the empty water bottle at Dustin’s head. “The electives were there before us, ass. Very few people take on the workload, is all.”

Ten minutes later, Shane parked the old van in the park only Wind Ninjas could find. There were a handful of other vehicles clustered near the path to the Academy. The trio raced up to the waterfall that served as the proper entrance. 

In the three months since Alex and Kara had last seen Alex’s parents, the sisters had found their own teammates among the other elements. They still practiced together and were still at their best that way. But Alex could tell she was doing great with Dustin and Shane, who were just as committed to their studies as the sisters. 

The only emails Alex sent her parents had to do with their grades. Even her dad had stopped asking after Alex’s state of mind. She didn’t tell them she was still surfing, or that Kara was going to start volunteering at an animal shelter. There had been part of her that missed talking to them, but then they decided to ignore her birthday. She hadn’t been expecting anything special for turning seventeen, but she hadn't even received a "Happy Birthday" email. 

Shane frowned after he opened the way to the Academy. “Do you guys feel that?”

“Something’s not right,” Dustin said, holding his hand out to the portal. 

Alex felt her blood run cold. “Kara.” She ran through the door, the boys right behind her.

The Academy was being ripped apart.

Strange creatures were battling the students and senseis, who were being sucked into large, weird bubbles. The temple itself was slowly being ripped apart and swept into a thundercloud.

“Kara!” Alex tried to run forward but was held back by Shane and Dustin. “Let me go!”

“If you go down there you’ll end up like them!” Shane told her.

“Kara!” Alex couldn’t see her sister, and the bubbles were heading up into the same thundercloud.

Kara should’ve heard her, should’ve headed right for Alex. If Kara wasn’t here-

Alex watched the bubbles full of people head up and away. No. Rao, no.

It wasn’t long before she was alone with Shane and Dustin, overlooking an empty crater. Alex felt numb. Her sister was gone. 

Alex had failed. 


End file.
